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Have you had those fabulous seeded crackers from the gourmet markets? They're loaded with dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Thin and super crisp, they make a delicious nibble on their own and are also quite sensational with soft and hard cheeses, hummus and spreads of all varieties. However....they're EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE!
Even at Trader Jo's, which has wonderful gourmet products at reasonable prices, they're selling for four dollars for a small box. And at the fancy-dancy markets.... well, be prepared to spend most of ten dollars for an even smaller package.
Guess what? You can make these delightful, healthy crackers at home for a FRACTION of the commercially packaged price. And with this recipe, you can have fun mixing and matching the seeds, nuts and dried fruit to your own taste.
Fun is definitely what we had while coming up with these Seeded California Fig & Pistachio Crisps. It all started with a wonderful package on our front steps. It arrived from sunny California loaded with beautiful dried figs and with some awesome OXO kitchen tools. The package was part of a recipe development challenge for EatWriteRetreat, a blogger's conference we'll be attending in Philadelphia in two short weeks.
If you're a regular reader here at The Café, you may be feeling like you're having deja vu, since I mentioned a similar package several weeks ago filled with California Raisins. I used them in my Sweet & Spicy California Raisin Jam w/ Orange & Ginger. No, you're not dreaming, we actually received TWO of these fun packages since Scott and I will both be attendees at the conference.
The challenge was to come up with an appetizer using the "mystery" ingredient we received in our packages, this one was California Figs. We enjoy figs, both fresh and dried here at the Café, so we were excited about the assignment. I love it that they're an all natural energy source and are fat, sodium and cholesterol free. The old brains were whirring as we tried to decide which way to go, and it seemed like we had a zillion ideas.
We finally decided on a crisp, healthy cracker that would mimic those fancy seeded gourmet delights. I got to work in, what my husband calls, "the mad scientist mode". We (I did the cooking and Scott was the taste-tester and critiquer) tried different combinations and amounts of ingredient, varying the pan shapes as well as the baking times and temperatures.
We're super happy with the final results. Our crisps include equal amounts of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, low fat milk, brown sugar, honey, lots of healthy seeds, pistachios, golden raisins and a generous portion of the delicious California Figs. I baked them in small pans and, after cooling, sliced them super thin and popped them back in the oven for a final crisping. With the other half of the batter, I used empty tomato cans which made round-shaped crackers ...................... beautiful on a cheese or appetizer tray!
One last thing I love about this recipe; it makes a TON! ................. but you don't have to make all the crackers at one time. You can throw the whole baked loaves in the freezer and when you get the call that company's coming, pull one out, slice it thin and pop it in the oven. When the doorbell rings, the most delicious aroma will greet your guests and they'll think you ARE the gourmet market!
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California Fig and Pistachio Crisps
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped California Dried Figs, I used California Mission Figs but any kind will work
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons removed to coat figs, see instructions
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup low fat milk
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 ½ cups shelled pistachios
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ¼ cup flax seed*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.). Spray five small bread pans generously with baking spray (for rectangle shaped crackers).
- For round crackers use clean, dry, empty food cans. Number of cans will depend on size of cans. I used seven 10-ounce Rotel tomato cans. Spray cans with baking spray. Rub spray all over with a paper towel then spray again. Cans need to be very well greased to ensure easy removal of loaves.
- Combine chopped figs with the 2 tablespoons flour. With your hand, toss to completely coat figs with flour. Set aside.
- Whisk together Greek yogurt, milk and honey in a medium size bowl. Set aside.
- Combine both flours, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add raisins, pistachios and all seeds. Stir to mix well.
- Add Greek yogurt mixture to dry ingredients and stir until all four are incorporated. Add chopped figs and stir gently just to combine.
- Divide batter between prepared pans, filling ¾ full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto cooling rack and cool completely. When cool, place in freezer for at least 1 hour.
- When ready to complete crackers (their "second bake"), preheat oven to 250˚F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Remove loaves from freezer. With a sharp knife, slice loaves as thinly as possible. Place slices on prepared sheet pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and quite crisp. Crisping will continue as crackers cool. When completely cool, store in an airtight container.
Notes
~ If weather is humid and crackers loose some of their crispness, you can easily restore their deliciousness by placing in a 250˚F oven for 10 minutes.
~ Mix and match the seeds and nuts to your liking, just keep the total amount the same. Also feel free to substitue different dried fruits, really the sky's the limit to the variations that are possible here.
~ A tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary is a delicious addition to this recipe. We wanted to let the figs shine on their own this time, but we also tried it with the rosemary and it's wonderful!
~ When you're slicing the crackers, it will be difficult to slice thin when you get to the end of the loaf. Instead of wasting the last little bit, I cut the ends up into little cubes, toast them in a separate pan as the crackers bake and voila! Delicious croutons that will jazz up the simplest salad!
~ If you're tired of granola, these are wonderful for breakfast with fresh fruit and yogurt!
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Best cheese crackers recipe - friends who have eaten asked for the recipe
Hi Jenny, Thanks for the excellent review! So glad to hear how well this recipe turned out for you - Enjoy!
I have made them several times they always come out perfect and super yummy.
Freezing before before cutting them works perfect for me.
Delicious!!! Thank you so much
Wonderful! Thank you for the review, Maria!
how many crisps will this make ?
Hi Kasey, that will depend on how thick you cut them. If you slice them thinly, you should get around 100.
thank you for this wonderful recipe. I’ve just made it and they were wonderful. Do you have labels for this so I can make them and give it us gifts?
If you do, please, can you send them thank you so much
Hi Greeta, so happy you enjoyed this recipe! At the time we do not have labels for these crackers.
Can these be made keto? How much almond or coconut flour would I substitute, any extra wet ingredients needed?
Thanks
Patti
Hi Patti, I have tested this recipe with GF all-purpose flour and it works well. I haven't tried it with almond or coconut flour so I can't say for sure.
Please send me the pdf for the labels
Hi Geeta, we do not have a label for these at this time.
I would like to know what you mean by “a cup”? What weight in gr could it correspond to?
Many thanks for your kind reply
Ama
Hi Anna Maria, here in the US, we use cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, etc for measuring. But for our European and Australian/New Zealand readers we have a conversion button. If you look right above the word "Instructions" in the recipe card, you'll see an option to convert to Metric measuring.
Die Fotos sehen großartig, bitte das Rezept auch mit Gramm Angaben teilen.
Viele Grüße sendet,
Gabriel
Hallo Gabriel, ich habe die Konvertierung durchgeführt. Genießen!
This is a beautiful recipe! I’ve made this for friends and they loved it. The lovely part is that you don’t have to have the exact seeds you can substitute any of the seeds. Since I use dried figs to make a fig balsamic reduction I am left with the figs from the reduction so I chopped them up and add them to this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! Thanks for your review, Maristela!
Hi! Thank you very much for recipe! I have made them and they turned out perfect. Also ,used sour dry cherries, hemp seeds instead of sesame.
Wonderful! Thanks for letting us know, Liz.
Chris, I only have full fat yoghurt and whole milk. No chia seeds. Would this affect the outcome or just the calories? Thanks, Susie
Hi Susie, full-fat yogurt or whole milk will work fine! You can sub a little extra of one of the other ingredients for the chia seeds. This recipe is very forgiving!
Would love to add these to a gift basket with some nice cheese. Please send me the pdf for the labels🙏🏻
Thanks, Kathy
Hi Kathy, we do not have labels for this recipe at this time.
This may sound silly - I hope not- the soup cans…do you cut only one end off and fill to 3/4, the bake upright in the oven?
Not silly at all, Hellen, good question and I'm sorry if that wasn't clear.
Yes, open the top, empty the contents, wash out the cans thoroughly and dry. Then fill ¾ full and bake!
Hope you enjoy the crackers!
I just wanted to check on the instructions for the second bake. I am assuming you bake at the same temperature as the original bake at 350?
Also wanted to check if the 40-45 minutes second bake time is correct. It seems long. I made your rosemary crackers (which were delicious!) and the second bake time was significantly less. I am going to use your second bake instructions from the rosemary crackers for these as well. I would just hate to see others over bake these if the time is not accurate. Thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait until they come out of the oven.
Hi Chantrey, so happy you enjoyed the rosemary crackers!
Regarding your question, if you look at the recipe, in step 8, it says to reduce the temperature to 250˚F.
Hope that helps!
These crackers are terrific! I didn’t have enough ingredients for a full recipe so I cut it in half. I was a bit apprehensive about messing with the recipe but all went well. My son began nibbling them after the “first” bake! I can’t wait to make a full batch for a cheese board when I have girlfriends visiting. Meanwhile, my son and I will snack on my test run. Will try the Rosemary crackers next!
Thanks so much for letting us know, Rebecca!
Quick question about the pistachios....do you chop them at all or just add whole? I am looking forward to trying these and the other small crackers on your site.
Hi Rebecca, you can roughly chop them but, even if you don't, when you slice them it will be fine.
Thanks. I may do a rough chop. I plan to make them tomorrow and will post a review! I had all the ingredients except for flax meal.....we use it regularly in granola so I was glad to get some for the pantry.
I am in the process of making these right now. So far they are so good that they aren't making it to the "second bake". Even my husband, who is not a big fan of dried fruit is snacking on the end bits as he walks by. I baked some in mini cake pans and cut the loaves in half and then sliced. The shape of the slices is not a big deal to me so I decided to go for it. So far so good!
Just a question about the second bake...what so you mean by "prepared sheet pans"? How should I prepare them? I didn't see any specific instructions about that.
I'll check that out, Carol and fix that omisiion. But just use 2 parchment lined sheet pans.
Looks amazing! Is there any way i can bake them in a bundt pan and slice them in circles afterwards?
Hi Fiza, that would work great. The slices will be bigger but that might be nice!
What wonderful looking crackers. I am making these. I can imagine eating these crackers in so many different ways!
You might want to add one more note/tip about sesame seeds. I live in Japan and we know that unmilled or uncrushed sesame seeds are not well digested or absorbed. It might be good to toast them a little bit and then after toasting them to lightly crush them in a mortar if possible. Otherwise the whole uncrushed seeds will simply pass through the body. I don’t know for sure, but this may apply to all types of seeds.
Hi Pamela, I think you'll enjoy these crackers and yes, they are really versatile. So interesting regarding the sesame seeds. Thanks for the tip! I know that flax is also like that.
Would it be possible to use a mandolin to cut the rolls in to slices?
You could, but just make sure the setting is not too thin. You want the crackers thin but a mandolin could cut them uber thin, which you would want.
Is it possible to substitute the white flour with something whole? Oat maybe? And do you think the yogurt can be replaced by a non dairy yogurt?
Yes, I think you could definitely use half WW flour. And I haven't tried it personally but I think the nondairy yogurt should also work.
I am excited to make these crackers. I have an annual Christmas nosh and it will be on my menu. Do you have recommendations as to what to serve with the crackers?
Goat cheese is wonderful with these crackers as is a smoked cheddar or Gouda along with a little bowl of pepper jelly. I think you'll find the crackers go well with just about any cheese and or spread.
Thank you!!! I’ll report back!
These crisps look absolutely amazing, just like your other crisps recipes I've seen on your blog! I especially love the idea of using tins for the round shape. I was wondering though: What's the point in using greek yoghurt if it's supposed to be nonfat? Because it's the creaminess that characterizes (original) greek yoghurt and that is due to a 10 percent fat content.
Thanks so much, Tadaima!
Regarding your (good) question; I'm totally with you! I used to always get the nonfat Greek yogurt (for the sake of calories) but I converted a few years ago to the whole milk variety. Now I really don't care for the nonfat. I'd rather eat less of the real deal than more of the nonfat. But you can use either in this recipe, depending on your preference.
To be honest: I don't think low fat or non fat products are healthy. And they taste terrible 🙂 Thanks for your quick reply. I will definitely try your crisps as soon as I have all the ingredients at home!
Do you bake the cans with the bread dough up right?
Yes!
These sound amazing! Going to try them. Thank you!!!
Hi Chris! We love them and love that you can make them at home and not pay a fortune. ENJOY!
Sorry, delete one of my comments, didn’t think the first one got through so tried again!!!!
Friend’s in for lunch, made another batch of these crisps to serve with gooy gorganzola, fresh brava figs and rioja red wine. They are so good, I eat them before they go in for their second bake!!!
Hi. Just made a third batch of the fig crisps, whilst they are in the freezer for an hour to send you my comments. Excellent recipe, people round for lunch and serving them with fresh creamy Gorgonzola cheese, fresh brave figs and a bottle of riojja.
A big thank you for the recipe. Love the crackers. Thumbs up!
You're welcome! So happy you enjoyed them!
Hi. What is a UK version of baking soda, googled the question and got different answers!! I live in Spain but have brought out baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. The recipe calls for 2 tsp of baking soda. Love your crisp recipes, slowly working my way through. Brilliant site, what a find!! Lynda
Bi Carb Soda
Thanks Linda!
Thank you Linda with an i from Lynda with a y!!! found this great site which gives UK/US common baking ingredients - UK/US Substitutions/Annie’s Noms, great help for us Brits with these brilliant recipes.
Bicarbonate of soda is baking soda 🙂
Can I use non-dairy milk and yogurt?
Hi Denise, I haven't tried that but I think it should work fine.
When you say small loaf pans what is the measurement of the pan?
Hi Mary, this is the size I'm talking about
Hi, Is there any way to make these without using a can? I don't buy canned food and have no cans around, but would love to make these this weekend. I can settle for a square shapped cracker.
How would i do that?
Thanks!
Hi Luis,
You could definitely make these in small loaf pans. Just fill them about 3/4 full and bake until firm when tapped on the top. The time will depend on the size of your pan. Just check them every couple minutes towards the end. Enjoy!!
Hello!
I would like to bake some unleavened crackers. Do you think I could leave the baking soda out of this recipe?
Thanks!
Tee
I haven't tried this Tee but I have a feeling they might be too dense.
Hello, I was hoping to make these for my sons girlfriend, who is gluten intolerant, do you have any suggestions about replacing the wheat flour?
I'm sorry Sara, I'm just not sure what other combinations of ingredients would hold together like that recipe does. You might need to do a little trial and error!
Try the one to one type flours from King Arthur Flour or Bob's Red Mill. You might want to add a little almond flour too, but not too much or it may be too crumbly.
I just made them and they are wonderful. Using a serrated soft cheese knife (the one with big holes cut in the blade) to slice the crackers makes this step a breeze. Since there is no drag on the knife blade, I could cut thin crackers right to the very end of the loaf.
Thanks Ruth, so happy you had good results. Thanks for the tips!
just made these and they are crazy good. munched on more than i should with homemade ricotta and homemade calamondin preserves and i couldn't be happier. have yet to try one of chris' recipes that doesn't absolutely shine. thank you for putting these out there for the rest of us.
I have been looking for a recipe like this for a long time. You absolutley NAILED IT! I made those into super savory crisps that replicate the ones by Raincoast. I replaced the AP flour by almond flour i had left over from a batch of almond milk, removed some of the sweetness and added rosemary.
Thank you so much for this.
Thanks Jasmine! So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Chris and Scott,
I am making these gorgeous crisps for my daughter's wedding next week. The baked logs are in the freezer right now and they look great. This may be a dumb question, but what is the easiest way to slice them, defrosted or right out of the freezer.? Thank you for this wonderful recipe! My husband lasted a few of the end pieces that I baked for the second time while I froze the rest, and he loved them. I know I will be baking these often.
Congratulations on your daughter's wedding. How fun! I take them out of the freezer and let them thaw just a bit, just till I can cut them a little easier. Don't let them thaw too much though otherwise it's hard to cut them thin.
Finally tried these! I have not tried the cracker part, but as I was slicing I was eating the crumbs. This is great without the second bake! perfect with butter of cream cheese. I'm going to try the crackers with the traditional cream cheese and pepper jelly. I think I may just toast some of them. And much easier than I thought it would be. I used garbanzo bean cans (from the guacamole hummus recipe I made!). The recipe is great but for some reason I am only able to select one star.
This is fabulous! I have been looking for a recipe for these to replace the Raincoast Crisps I buy at Fresh Market! Time to start saving my Ro-tel cans. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Pistachios in a cracker - my family would love these!
What a healthy snack / treat! I am definitely bookmarking this because I I want to taste this!!! Ahhhh...loving these crisps 🙂
They look wonderful! I must try to make these.
I'm trying to incorporate more nuts and seeds into my diet and these crisps look like just the ticket. They sound SO good. I've never tried making crackers at home, but you've inspired me! Hope to meet you at EWR.
What a great recipe Chris! I love these kind of crackers but never buy them because of sticker shock. I can't wait to try them. They're gorgeous!
I do love those crackers, but yes they can cost you an arm and a leg. I have purchased the ones from Trader Joes and they are tasty. But NOW I have a great recipe from you to make at home. Love it!!!!!!
Seeded crackers?! I've never seen these. They look really interesting and I love how you made a homemade version instead of just getting the expensive but convenient ones. Nice!
These sound delicious. I think they should have a little feta smooshed on them. Salty/sweet, mmmmmm....
Oooh I love that you can make these right at home! Thanks for saving me a ton of money!
Chris, amazing photography of your fabulous Fig and Pistachio Crackers - they look so unbeliebably good and picture perfect. You do come up with these fantastic recipes and I am sure that they would be a huge hit at any party or celebration! Figs and pistachios are truly wonderful ingredients to use in a cracker!
Have a wonderful Friday!
Beautiful crisp dried fruit and nut crackers! They look professionally baked and just waiting for a nice piece of cheese on top 😉
I make something similar that we all love. Figs and pistachios is a wonderful combinations of flavors and they will be perfect on a cheese tray for our next wine tasting. Lovely photos, Chris.
I have never had these before but they look full of things that I love!
I would love to try these delicious crisps, they look so flavorful and perfect for smearing with soft goat cheese. Great recipe, Chris!
colourful healthy treats
Hi Chris, your crackers are loaded with wholesome ingredients!!! They look way and above store bought ones..Beautiful presentation! Have a great weekend!
Love the round shape of these yummy, crispy, crunchy crackers! Not only attractive, but absolutely amazing!
Thank you for posting this. A friend made something similar - much like the very expensive Raincoast Crisps we get up here - but didn't share the recipe. Now I can make them too!
I love this kind of crackers!!!! I bought some once and these were wayyyyyy to pricey!!!! I'll definitly try yours... With camembert, yummy!
These would be the first crackers I'd go for at a cocktail party! They truly look like they came from a fine purveyor...just perfect! You continue to amaze me with your gorgeous creations, Chris 🙂
If I serve these to my friends... I know they will think that I bought them. Seriously the figs and pistachios make the crisps very fancy! I love it!
I love these, Chris! I made these, too, but didn't get those perfect rounds that you have. The tomato can idea sounds perfect! They look like gorgeous nut and seed mosaics!
I just love your crisp recipes! I make them all of the time! I happen to have a huge bag of figs, and I am excited to make these this weekend!!!
Perfect snack! I love figs in anything, except Fig Newtons.
These look so beautiful!
Those would beat any store brand! They not only look gourmet but, I bet they taste it too! I like that it makes a lot and you can freeze it also.
What a great idea to bake them in tomato cans!
Wow Chris - they look fantastic!
Vaya corte a mi me ha encantado 🙂
Un saludito
They look so pretty! Wow.
Chris these are beautiful!!! Love how you can see all the ingredients!! Need to try these soon!!
Chris these are beautiful!!! Love how you can see all the ingredients!! Need to try these soon!!
They are beautiful and sounds so delicious! Have a great day!
What a special treat these are. I bet they are so tasty - you are a wonderful chef Chris! Lovely cracker indeed!
These look and sound sensational. Great use of ingredients and so creative. I'd like to have some of these just for a breakfast, they sound so good.
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will have to give these a whirl!
Oh Chris, those are gorgeous. What an amazing creation. They're absolutely, fandabulously perfect. I can't wait to hear about your time at the conferences. I know the two of you are going to have a blast.
I made a similar version a few times..the first time they were good and twice after not crisp..chewy..thanks for this new version..will try again:-)
They are very pretty and look pretty healthy too! Enjoy:@)
They look very appealing and definitely a must-make at home-- not only because it is a buck saver but also because I bet it is much more delicious. Gorgeous photos, Chris!!!!
These look so good! And mnaking them like biscotti is genius - I've never been able to get crackers properly thin and crisp.
This is the ultimate snack for me, delicious and packed with healthy ingredients!Love it!!!
Hugs,dear!
They're so perfect Chris. The whole post I was wondering how you got them so round. They look super fancy! Maybe The Cafe needs a market stall and then you can charge BIG prices too but your goodies will be worth the price tag.
Oh, what an excellent use for your mystery ingredient! I love the texture of these crisps - if only I could grab a handful through the screen!
Gorgeous photos, as usual!
Maybe you could even use these as biscotti? I love Trader Joes, we have a brand new one here.
I love figs and this sounds delicious!
Oh my yum! You have everything delish and healthy going on in this crisps!
Oh, the crisp looks delicious.
First time on your blog and glad to have discovered it.
Love how easy and delicious you make entertaining, Chris! I'd devour these crisps in a second :).